1. Field
The disclosure relates to electrodes for rechargeable lithium batteries and to rechargeable lithium batteries including the electrodes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Batteries transform the chemical energy generated from electrochemical redox reactions of a chemical material into electrical energy. Such batteries are divided into primary batteries, which should be discarded after consuming all the energy, and rechargeable batteries, which can be recharged many times. Rechargeable batteries can be charged/discharged many times based on the reversible transformation between chemical energy and electrical energy.
Recent developments in the high-tech electronic industry have yielded smaller, lighter weight electronic devices, thereby leading to increased uses for portable electronic devices. Portable electronic devices are increasingly requiring batteries with high energy density as power sources. Accordingly, research into lithium rechargeable batteries is being actively pursued.
In general, an electrode for a rechargeable lithium battery is fabricated by mixing an electrode active material, a binder, and a conductive agent to prepare a slurry, coating the slurry on a substrate, and then drying and compressing the coated substrate. The binder has conventionally included polyvinylidene fluoride or styrene-butadiene rubber.